1-1     By:  Elkins (Senate Sponsor - Patterson)              H.B. No. 2502

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 12, 1997;

 1-3     May 13, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal

 1-4     Justice; May 18, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:

 1-5     Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 18, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the venue for prosecution of the offense of failing or

 1-9     refusing to pay the toll imposed for the operation of a motor

1-10     vehicle on a toll project of certain counties.

1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-12           SECTION 1.  Section 284.070, Transportation Code, is amended

1-13     by adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:

1-14           (d)  In a county with a population over 2.8 million, an

1-15     offense under this section may be prosecuted in any precinct in the

1-16     county in which the offense was committed.

1-17           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.  The

1-18     change in law made by this Act applies only to the prosecution for

1-19     an offense committed on or after September 1, 1997.  The

1-20     prosecution of an offense committed before September 1, 1997, is

1-21     covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and

1-22     the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.  For

1-23     purposes of this section, an offense was committed before September

1-24     1, 1997, if any element of the offense occurred before that date.

1-25           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-26     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-27     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-28     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-29     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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